PAMM Third Thursdays: Poplife Social: Q&A with Poorgrrrl

From dominating the stages of III Points to opening for Trina on top of a bank vault to her stellar debut EP Pitiparti, Poorgrrrl has without a doubt, left her mark on Miami’s ever-evolving music scene. To call it an exciting time to be a music fan in the 305 would be an understatement.

As part of Poorgrrrl’s upcoming [Name] Publications release of her new 12″ EP titled All Smoke No Fire, join the Miami curator and experimental performance artist on PAMM’s waterfront terrace for an exclusive listening party and live performance of the EP.

Get down with live sets by Lautlos, Gami, DJ SLOW IT DOWN, and catch performance artists Khur and E-dad. Enjoy $5 wings and $3 PBR.

We caught up with Poorgrrrl ahead of the EP release party at PAMM and discussed her creative process behind the new EP, Miami’s music scene, and more.

Tell us a bit about the creative process behind the new EP. Are you exploring anything new or different from your previous release?

Yes, the process for creating this record was very different than for the first EP as is the music. We had been sitting on the songs for a long time and had played them live several times before going into the studio and recording them. Previously, we would produce the songs completely before ever playing them live. This allowed the songs to evolve in a special way before committing them to a recording. We also worked with a guitar player throughout this time which added a different element, both in the writing and production of the songs. We recorded the songs in a way that was more like a “live take” of us playing through the songs, as opposed to a heavily edited and produced track. We feel this gave the record a very personal quality to it. It’s not perfect like you would expect in today’s record industry, but it has a quality of realness, and a depth created by improvisation and performance, that seems to be missing from most modern day productions.

As far as the lyrics are concerned, which are all sung as opposed to being rapped, I think they came from such a deep part of myself that it felt like I had no control over them. They just came out of me while listening to very rough versions of the songs. Once they were written, I knew they couldn’t be changed and I had a responsibility, to a part of myself I didn’t even fully understand, to put them into my work. The melodies were written at the same time, but they developed along with the songs somewhat. The lyrics, however, never changed. They hold a power over me. I get very emotional when listening to these songs, even after hearing them 100 times. I’ve never felt so deeply connected to the lyrics of my work, they affect me in ways I can’t explain.

This is a very personal record. It’s almost like something you really care about but would only show your closest friends. That is why we made the record a vinyl only release. It’s not designed for mass consumption, and hopefully connects with the listeners on a much more personal level then stumbling across my music on Spotify or whatever would.

What are your thoughts on Miami’s music scene?

Ignoring the one track-minded club scene (which isn’t much about music anyways) for a moment, I think that the music (and performance art) scene here is beautiful and filled with extremely talented artists from all different backgrounds and cultures. It’s still very much in development, and a lot of the venues (one track-minded) aren’t very open to the more experimental nature of it, but I see a lot of potential, and I am hoping the scene can shift to more of a focus on the art and creative side of the music, instead of the trendy, cool kid, scenster, stuff.

What have you been listening to lately?

Mostly NPR tbh lol. Honestly, most of the music I have been checking out has been what my friends have been making and live performances. I’ve been dabbling in DJing lol, but looking for music has been a little overwhelming/demoralizing. I have trouble finding anything I connect with personally, and if I do, it usually doesn’t fit into a DJ set… That being said, I am traveling this summer to New York for a month and Berlin for a month in part to seek out new music and scenes. I believe there is a lot of quality out there, it’s just not that easy to find, and there are a lot of people “faking” it.

Who would your dream collaboration be with?

Aphex Twin.

We’re stoked to have you back at PAMM again! What are your feelings towards performing All Smoke No Fire to an audience for the first time?

Well, as I said earlier, we actually have played these songs live before, but we are really excited to have a finished product to offer people. We are very excited to present it at a proper institute of art, such as PAMM, because we feel that this record in particular has more artistic qualities than a typical commercial release.